| Title | : | Summer Knight (The Dresden Files, #4) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0451458923 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780451458926 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Mass Market Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 446 |
| Publication | : | First published September 3, 2002 |
here.
HARRY DRESDEN -- WIZARD
Lost items found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates.
No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment
Ever since his girlfriend left town to deal with her newly acquired taste for blood, Harry Dresden has been down and out in Chicago. He can't pay his rent. He's alienating his friends. He can't even recall the last time he took a shower.
The only professional wizard in the phone book has become a desperate man.
And just when it seems things can't get any worse, in saunters the Winter Queen of Faerie. She has an offer Harry can't refuse if he wants to free himself of the supernatural hold his faerie godmother has over him--and hopefully end his run of bad luck. All he has to do is find out who murdered the Summer Queen's right-hand man, the Summer Knight, and clear the Winter Queen's name.
It seems simple enough, but Harry knows better than to get caught in the middle of faerie politics. Until he finds out that the fate of the entire world rests on his solving this case. No pressure or anything...
Summer Knight (The Dresden Files, #4) Reviews
-
Summer Knight was super fun, and I expect the quality of the series can only stay consistently good or better from here on out.
When you’re diving into a long series that has been published for years—two decades for this series—I find that it is almost always a wise decision to listen to the advice given by the fans of the specific series—especially those who can acknowledge the flaws in their favorite books/series—who definitely knows what they’re talking about. This is where Summer Knight, the fourth book in The Dresden Files, enter the scene. It has been agreed by the majority of The Dresden Files fans that The Summer Knight is where the series started to take off, and I can certainly understand why now.
The story in Summer Knight starts nine months after the end of Grave Peril. We have seen a big focus on werewolves in Fool Moon, vampires in Grave Peril, this time we have faeries taking the central stage. I don’t know about you, but I never expected I would enjoy reading a fantasy novel that revolves around Faeries; I always say that any type of story can work as long that the author knows what they’re doing, and Butcher nailed it. It’s almost as if the previous three books were set-up for The Summer Knight to work better as an installment to a series. There’s a better sense of continuity in this book compared to the previous three. I don’t think you’ll feel lost starting your journey from Storm Front, Fool Moon, or Grave Peril; there’s a continuity in these three books but their story felt quite disjointed from each other. The three books before this novel felt like a prelude to Summer Knight, and that’s—in my opinion—only one out of several reasons why this is a better book than its predecessors.
“In the name of the Pizza Lord. Charge!”
I mean, that is one glorious line.
Another reason why Summer Knight is superior is that there are a better structure and flow to Butcher’s storytelling. The new murder mystery that Harry has to solve in this book was more interesting because the stake is higher and it involves more paranormal/magic. The ebb and flow in the cycle of power between the Summer and Winter faeries made the conflict and rivalry between them more intriguing and compelling. Also, all the new characters being introduced here were fascinating to me. Aurora, Titania, and Mab—the Queen of Air and Darkness—were faeries that tightened the tension and plot of the story. Most importantly, for the first time in the series, I actually felt invested with many of the characters, not exclusive to Harry Dresden, Bob, and Michael—even though he’s not in this book—now.
It gave me so much joy to see Harry and Murphy started to form a better understanding with each other and cooperate more harmoniously. The way Butcher portrayed their friendship in the previous books didn’t work too well for me; it made Murphy an infuriating character because we see things from Harry’s POV. Also, Harry’s chauvinist tendency seems to have decreased or not mentioned anymore. This is a good change; it’s better to see him being protective rather than to hear his thoughts and justification for being chauvinist repeatedly. Characterizations and relationship developments simply functioned better in this book, and I can’t wait to see how all their relationships develop in future books.
“Here's where I ask why don't you spend your time doing something safer and more boring. Like maybe administering suppositories to rabid gorillas.”
Summer Knight is the most enjoyable book in the series so far, and the flow of the pacing and writing in it was incredibly delightful to read. The action scenes in the middle part of the book did feel slightly too long for its own good, but other than that, everything was just addictive. Butcher’s accessible prose continues to really make this series an entertaining page-turner, and I look forward to reading the next book next month.
Picture: Summer Knight by Vincent Chong
You can order the book from:
Book Depository (Free shipping)
You can find
this and the rest of my reviews at
Novel Notions
Special thanks to my Patrons on
Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!
My Patrons: Alfred, Devin, Hamad, Joie, Mike, Miracle, Nicholas. -
“Uh, Ms. Sommerset, I presume,” I managed finally. No one can do suave like me. If I was careful, I should be able to trip over something and complete the image. “I’m Harry Dresden.”
And so the tale of this fourth book begins. *lol* After the happenings in book three Harry is not only obsessed with finding a way to cure Susan but also let a lot of other things slide in order to attain his goal. For instance his job and personal hygiene… And that is just the beginning, really. XD
There’s an endless list of troubles our favourite wizard has to face and the Red Court is only one of them. The wizard council isn’t pleased with him intervening and Mab the Queen of the Winter Court wants him to help her find the killer of the summer knight. Needless to say that as good as every party mentioned either wants him dead or might get him killed while he helps them.
No wonder, Harry is at a low of his life and tries to give himself a pep talk! (With varying degrees of success, I may add.)
”Stop whining, Harry,” I said in a firm, loud voice. “So what if you’re tired? So what if you’re hurt? So what I you smell like you’re already dead? You’re a wizard. You’ve got a job to do.”
But Harry isn’t completely alone. There’s still Murphy, the alpha pack and Toot Toot our little faerie who’d do anything for a slice of pizza! *lol*
”Come on, Harry. What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking that if this dilemma grows any more horns I’m going to shoot it and put it up on the wall.”
Actually, I was about to say the same thing. Thank you, Harry for putting my thoughts into appropriate words. XD Still, despite everything there is still some fight left in our wizard and he would be damned if he wouldn’t try to do his best! So he’s facing his troubles head on and we all know what happens once our stubborn hero decides to go to war! ;-)
Considering it all I really enjoyed “Summer Knight” and was more than just happy to read about all the different faerie courts. By now you all know how much I love faeries so it’s no wonder I was a happy camper by the end of this book. *lol* But don’t worry, even if you’re no fan of faeries, as long as you’re a true fan of Harry Dresden you should be fine. XD -
This is the fourth book in the Dresden Files Series. I was just in awe with this book! Also I love the character development. I just wish that Bob had a bigger part in the series.I just love Bob! The books so far seem to get better and better.
The villains are varied and enjoyable, and pulled from fairy tales and legends. They include mean plant monsters, psycho fairies, pixies, unicorns and more.
Harry Dresden, professional wizard, has practically become a recluse since he lost his girlfriend. A little less than a year ago, his girlfriend was bitten by a vampire. Although he retrieved her--incidentally setting off a war between the vampires and wizards--despite desperate attempts to help her that drive him into near psychosis, he can't restore her humanity.
But when the sky starts raining toads and the White Council of Wizards comes to town, Harry is forced to snap out of his misery and self-loathing. The wizards aren't thrilled about the war Dresden set off, and decide that the best way to end it is to throw Dresden to the vampires, unless he solves the case brought to him by a terrifying new client: Mab, Queen of the Unseelie Fey. To stop himself from becoming a reconciliation gift to the vampires, Harry must solve the murder of the human champion of Summer and prove that Mab is innocent of the crime. With only a band of teenage werewolves, a pizza-loving fairy, and his friend, Lt. Karrin Murphy, to help him, Dresden must solve the crime before the fairies go to war with Chicago as ground zero. And of course, that's when things start getting complicated: an old flame pops up on his doorstep, begging him for help, a changeling girl has gone missing and Harry's guilted into taking the case, and there's a killer ghoul--not to mention a chlorofiend (plant monster)--out for Harry's blood. Harry is in for a wild, fantastic, and above all, entertaining ride. -
2.75ish stars.
I hope no one's offended if I call this series a guilty pleasure. :) There's finally some semblance of a coherent plot and as a result this is the best book so far.
Drinking game for this book: every time Harry says the word "sensual" or one of its derivations. -
Fanart and random comics done by me. :D Please don't sue.
When everyone kept telling me to skip the first three books, I didn't believe there would be such a difference!! No, the series are still not going in my list of favorites, nor are they getting a 5 star rating (only time will tell), but my level of enjoyment jumped from -50 to +100.
WHAT I LIKE NOW
- The Narrator of the audiobook is probably one of the best ones I've ever heard! He fits Harry perfectly, and his voice variations and acting are superb! I could practically feel every emotion coming through his voice, truly amazing! Not sure why I wasn't a fan in the first two books.
- Harry isn't horny all the time anymore! On top of it, he has become a very likable, compelling and 3-dimensional character! HUGE IMPROVEMENT!
- Plot, pacing, writing style, world building - a hundred times better... in the first half. Second half kind of lost me.
- HUMOR IS SO GOOD!
WHAT I DON'T LIKE
- Still not a huge fan of the whole crime genre in general. I just find police investigations, interviewing numerous suspects, etc. kind of boring, but the book DOES try to balance everything out and I managed to remember more than half of the characters...except for their names. Dammit, I need to start taking notes...
- The book feels looooooooong and not in a good way.
- Second half was...alright. Not bad, but I expected so much more based on how much I enjoyed the first half.
A LOT of books are influenced and inspired by the Dresden Files and I am not surprised. That was the main reason why I kept giving the series a chance...That, and the cool-looking dude on the covers.I am super grateful to Jim Butcher for inspiring awesome authors across the world and for never complaining when other series copy elements from his. On the opposite, he was always very supportive and agreeable, which is super rare and speaks volumes for his character.
CONCLUSION:
If you didn't like
Storm Front (aka. Book 1), but you are wondering what the whole hype is all about, then you might want to skip a few books. Based on personal experience, you won't miss much and you don't need the first three books in order to enjoy the sequels. ( I barely remember them).
Happy reading!
Click here for full resolution. -
Some Fairies, Puck, Oberon, Rob Anybody, Tinkerbell, Rumpelstiltskin, and Jareth gather in the Never Never to play Dungeons and Dragons and discuss Jim Butcher’s 2002 Harry Dresden novel Summer Knight.
Puck: Jareth, has anyone ever told you that you look like David Bowie?
Jareth: I get that all the time, you have no idea.
Puck: So what do you know about the fourth Dresden book, Summer Knight?
Rob: We dinna know anythin'!
Tinkerbell: tinkle!
Rumpelstiltskin: I liked it actually, plenty of action, some explanations of the Fairy lands in Butcher’s Dresden world building, very entertaining.
Oberon: Indeed, the knave Butcher is no dunce with the pen.
Tinkerbell: tinkle tinkle tinkle
Puck: Very interesting take on the series, Tink, so are you saying that Butcher’s fourth excursion with Harry Dresden is gimmick play for better sales among the urban fantasy crowd or was this an ambitious harkening back to magical origins? What do you think Rob?
Rob: t's no' oour fault! We wuz only standing there an' someone else did it and ran awa'!
Oberon: We are Oberon. Lord of the Third Race. Ruler of Avalon. We have come to chew gum and kick ass, and we’re all out of gum!
Rob: Ye're only picking on us 'cause we're blue! We always get blamed for everythin'! The polis hate us! We wasna even in the country!
Oberon: Ill-met by moonlight, proud Dresden!
Puck: OK, did you two even read the book?
Rob: Aw crivens! There wa so many letters, an words, an I much prefrd the audiobook.
Rumplestiltskin: I have to say I did too, except I think Dresden’s snarky one liners were sometimes more of distraction than amusing.
Rob: Aw wailey, wailey, wailey! I dina like it a mooch a his las stories.
Tinkerbell: tinkle, tinkle, tinkle, tinkle, tinkle, tinkle, tinkle, tinkle,, tinkle, tinkle
all pause and reflect on Tinkerbell’s succinct yet exhaustive statement on the novel
Puck: Wow, Tink, I could not have said it any better!
Rob: A fair word, wee hag! Cuna doon bet’r meself!
-
Summer Knight was a damn good book. It feels like this urban fantasy book series is beginning to shake off its roots and come into its own.
There is a whole cast of characters in here; some we had already met, and others were new. The newer ones were a little tricky to keep in order in my head, but that’s more my fault than Jim Butcher’s.
Murphy had her moment and I loved it
No spoilers, but I am so glad we finally saw more of what she is capable of in Summer Knight. Murphy’s character is becoming more developed than in previous books like Storm Front and Fool Moon.
Now that certain things have happened I am sure we will see even more of her being a badass.
Harry Dresden is the perfect hero
So often, he is stuck with no way out, but he never gives up. This is what makes him so loved by the fans, I think.
He cares deeply not only for the people closest to him, but for all innocents too. Yes, there are moments where (and this has happened in all 4 books so far) he is screwed and someone saves him at the last moment, but that is part of the charm of these books.
Harry Dresden is not all-powerful – he’s as flawed and screwed as the rest of us, and that’s brilliant.
The plot of Summer Knight is so good!
It’s complex and has multiple plotlines that twist and come together in such a satisfying way. I felt a huge wave of emotion when the story of Summer Knight came to a head and Harry Dresden went all out in one of the latter chapters.
I was hooked in and the pages weren’t going to let me go until I’d damn well finished the book.
Everyone who tells you that the first books are worth burning through is right
I’m aware that there are still some future books in The Dresden Files that may well fall flat, but that’s not going to stop me from reading the rest of this series.
Now that I’ve see what Jim Butcher was capable of when this book was written, I am so excited to see what the future books have to offer.
View the full review at The Fantasy Review -
I never considered reading about faeries, but it was a mandatory thing for me to do so because I really like the Dresden Files. Harry Dresden is no doubt one of my favorite fictional characters. Witty and crazy will always be a perfect match.
This novel was about faeries, and thrones. I really enjoyed how Butcher portrayed both. I've never read anything faerie related so I had no background knowledge of them. Based on the first three novels, Butcher is known for putting his own twists in the supernatural creatures. He makes them his own, and it works most of the time. I like his portrayal of the faeries, and it makes me want to read more of them. Main reason would be to know if he made his own shit up again, but also because he made them sound so damn interesting in the first place.
This fourth installment in the series was face paced and consistent. I can't remember any slow points in the middle of the novel. The characters were great as usual, with an addition of a few new great ones. There were good and bad faeries, and both were great characters. I was not expecting to like faeries more than ghosts, but Butcher made them seem so cool. While the third novel was better overall, the creatures in this novel were a bit better.
4.25/5 stars. While it was such a fast read because it was so enjoyable, I was still a bit disappointed with the ending. I didn't find it phenomenal, but honestly I haven't read a good ending written by Butcher based on the four novels I've read of his. But aside from the ending, there's nothing more I can complain about. This series keeps improving. If you haven't started reading this series yet, then you're missing out a lot. -
Harry Dresden, a wizard-for-hire, is in the thick of it. He's started a war between the vampires and wizards and the White Council is not happy about it. And, there's the small matter of his former girlfriend, Susan, who's been infected with vampire blood.
Can he save her from a terrible fate? Can he save himself?
Then, there's Karrin Murphy, the head of the supernatural department at the Chicago PD. She's suffering from nightmares caused by the last adventure that Harry brought to her doorstep. Will she be able to pull herself together long enough to help the wizard save the world?
Add to these troubles vengeful fairies, a handful of changelings, pizza-loving pixies, werewolves and, of all things, Dungeons and Dragons! The Summer Knight is a rollicking entry in The Dresden Files.
My one complaint: more Bob. That is all.
Recommended for urban fantasy readers, MMORPG players and people who believe or want to believe in fairies. -
Buddy read began April 27th on Buddies Books and Baubles
Look you know it is going to be a bad day when it starts out raining toads, there is an assassination attempt on your life, you girlfriend is avoiding you (she has some changes to deal with), you can’t find your good robe for your impending trial with the White Council and Mab shows up at your office.
At this point you’d probably be better off going back to bed. But since you inadvertently started a war between The Red Court of Vampires and the Wizards there doesn’t seem to be any way to get around being stuck in the middle.
I think that Jim Butcher is getting better at writing this series. While I’m still not a huge fan of Harry specifically I like most of the side characters enough that it doesn’t matter. Plus He has a lot of great situations that I loved throughout:✲ - Meeting Ebenezer who is like a father to Harry. I liked him immediately....
“You’re the last one I would expect to be telling me to get involved in Council politics.”
Ebenezar scowled at me. “Oh?”
“Yeah. In fact, the last time I checked, you told me the whole swill-spouting pack of lollygagging skunkwallows could transform one another into clams, for all you cared.”
✲ - Seeing Billy the LARPing Werewolf again and seeing how much his little pack has changed.
✲ - Meeting Mab and all the other Fae Queens. I do love me some time if Faery and every part of meeting the Queens was fascinating.
✲ - Clandestine meetings at the Super Walmart late at night where Murphy really got to shine. This is the Murphy/Harry combo I was waiting to see.
“Besides. You were lucky I was there. The way I count it, I’m the one who put on the boots.”
A smile threatened my expression. “You did what?”
“Put on the boots,” Murphy said. “I put on the boots and kicked some monster ass. I dropped the ghoul, and I’m the one who rammed a chain saw through the head of that plant monster thing. Crippled the ogre, too. What did you do? You threw a can of Sterno at him. That’s barely an assist.”
✲ - Seems like Harry’s old flame found him accidentally on purpose again. Man Harry has shit luck with women. Seriously he is awful with them.
✲ - BOB!!!! Nuff said
✲ - Lea, Harry’s faery godmother. Well she was at least helpful this time around and less ‘I will turn you into one of my hounds’
✲ - CHANGLINGS – ½ Fae/ ½ Humans. I love the introduction of this into the story.
✲ - and last but not least a big shout out to Toot. That fairy is hilarious and helpful. Plus he loves him some pizza so I’m sure we would get along.
While it is a great compilation of situations I think JB still has some plotting issues. Everything is a bit garbled at times and I actually would have liked the story a bit more if the bad guy ended up being someone else in the story.
But these are so much fun and the humor is getting a lot better, along with all the additional characters. I’m definitely seeing why this series has such a big following. Still waiting for Harry to really find himself though.
-
According to fans of the series, this is where the Dresden Files supposedly start to get better, and I won't disagree as this was quite an improvement from Grave Peril.
The plot in the last book felt quite haphazard. Moreover, the character development of Harry, as intriguing as his backstory is concerned, annoyed me as he seemed to be able to ever 'dig deeper' into his power reserves from out of nowhere, powered by rage or something else which escaped my comprehension. In Summer Knight, we see Harry having to rely more on his friends and other interested parties to assist him in saving the world, which was no less than what exactly Harry had to do. With his adversaries being the super-powerful, omnipotent Faeries, there was absolutely zero chance of Harry being able to take them down based on his raw power alone.
The worldbuilding piece around the intricacies and politics of the Fae courts was the highlight of this book for me. Without much knowledge about the Fae, except from watching True Blood and speed-reading a couple of Sookie Stackhouse novels, I was necessarily intrigued. Sufficed to say that the Fae are deeply mysterious, dangerously alluring, wholly otherworldly, and absolutely fascinating.
Another interesting facet was that of the White Council, whose judgment Harry had to face after the precipitous events with the Red Court of the Vampires in the previous instalment. From this plotline, more interesting characters surfaced, namely Ebenezar and the Gatekeeper, whom I hoped will have more appearances in the future.
As far as characters are concerned, Agent Karrin Murphy has improved in my estimation of her. The delicate balance of toughness and vulnerability emanating from her was handled very well and I can finally say that Harry is indeed lucky to have a friend like her. The same can be said of Billy the werewolf - a worthy and loyal sidekick to have by his side.
Dresden Files does seem to keep improving and this is a great volume, but I'll still be hardpressed to call it amazing. Notwithstanding, sometimes one just needs a book that is a bit lighter and easier to digest with decent storytelling. This series has so far been able to fulfil that.
This review can also be found at
Booknest -
Actual rating is 3.5 stars.
This is part of a series but can be read as a stand alone. I do think the book before this one gives the explanation of the state of our character in this novel. In this one, Harry is dealing with what happened with the vampires in the last book. Now he has to deal with fairies and with the council and if he doesn't find a solution to his problems he is most likely dead.
This is a difficult one to rate as there were aspects that I really enjoyed and some I did not. I will say the good definitely outweighed the bad. Right away I can tell that this was going to be a nice read because of the state of the character. He dealt with some heavy stuff at the end of the last book and this was portrayed in this book. I loved the continuation of the character growth. Also these books are paranormal fantasy and I thought this book out of the first four really delved into that world. My problem with this book is the same problem I had with the previous book. I feel like we are dropped into the middle of a scene and we should just go with the flow of it. It seems like I should know everything about certain characters or types of characters. I wish the author would spend a little more time on exposition to flesh them out. That being said out of the first four books this finale was the best one and an amazing culmination ending with an over the top fantasy battle that I loved.
I have read on this site that this series really picks up at the fourth book which is this one. I really got a sense of that while reading this book. It definitely felt like we are really jumping into the world and going with it. It read like the author has more confidence in his writing and really has a grasp on the story he wants to tell. Still wish it was fleshed out a little more. I am looking forward to continuing this series. Like I said I had a sense of the tide turning and I am hopeful that the author delivers. -
First half: 2 stars
Second half: 4 stars
I read many times that series gets lot better from this point on but I didn't see it. From my angle it's same as previous books with all the good and bad stuff. Harry tends to be whiny and wallow in self pity, story is predictable and follows similar pattern like all previous books.
On the other hand when it gets good than it's really fun. There is well written action, mystery(even though it's predictable it's still fun) and interesting world which I always want to know more about.
Overall I'm not blown away but I am entertained and I will definitely continue on with the series. -
Before I start gnawing on the book, let me first say that I enjoy Butcher's writing overall. He does good character, a romping pace, and makes me care about his protagonists. In fact, Butcher's a good enough writer that he enters the "good enough to realize his mistakes, which makes it so frustrating when he misses them" category. So...yes...he's quite good.
But....
This is definitely the lesser of the 1st four books. I'm muchly bothered by the severe escalation of the power scale in this book, as Harry is now immersed in an all-out war between faeries that threatens to change the very fabric of reality. This goes a LOOOOOONG way towards Dresden entering the class of the Not Very Special At All...which is something to be avoided.
And Dresden's habit of being in way over his head got a little tedious, especially as the character kept actually talking about being in over his head too many times, and how it would eventually mean his end. Yes...it would. And when I'm on the 40th or 50th instance of "Dresden only has a one-in-a-thousand chance of survival!" I start to wonder about the man making those odds, and I also start to yawn. And when Dresden puts down Yet Another Foe Against Whom He Has No Chance, I start to get reeaaalll sleepy.
Also......(spoiler alert!!)...........I have been trying very very hard to just enjoy these novels and look at them as fun gothic horror/adventure, and NOT somebody's idea of a kickass gaming night put down on paper, the kind of thing where someone acceded to the wishes of their gamer friends who kept saying, "Dude! Our campaign mega-rocks! You should write a BOOK about it and make our sweeeeeeet characters FAMOUS!" That became impossible to do at the end of this book, which ends with....(yikes)....Harry Dresden setting down to a table in an apartment, with a group of young werewolves, to eat pizza, drink soda, and....yes...have a role-playing gamer session. Yep...a wizard sits down with werewolves to have a roleplay session. Awesome. I feel like I'm sixteen again. Except, you know, I'm not. -
To reiterate my criticism of the series as a whole: Harry Dresden is a stupid, narcissistic, nerd (nerdcissist?) who's first impulse when it comes to problem solving is to run into the villain's lair and shout "Who's making all the bad magic!" and then get surprised when people attempt to murder him.
The cover art for all these books, and the casting choice for the television show give me the impression that Butcher views Dresden as a sort of wizardly Han Solo, a roguish figure marginalized by both the human and magical worlds.
But anytime I imagine him, he ends up halfway between David Tennant and Rincewind from the Discworld books. He's all stick legs and potbelly, the physique you'd get from eating nothing but junk food and coke, but not enough of either. I'm actually shocked he doesn't eat Cup of Noodles.
Here's the thing: Harry Dresden is a well-realized character, he's just a person whose head I don't want to be inside. I don't want to hear his lascivious objectification of every woman every time they enter a scene. It's either how hot are they are, or how more or less hot they are than normal. He's also stubborn the way many real world nerds are, to the point of self-destruction where you want to choke them. Also, in third person I wouldn't have to listen to his rationalizations about how he's so awesome even while being self-deprecating.
What's odd is the writing style has improved around Dresden, but the growth of the character is much slower. He certainly says "Hell's Bells" with a reduced frequency, but he's about as immature as he was in the first book.
The pacing and the action packed set pieces really hold the book together. I nearly stopped near the middle because I simply have no patience for magical political intrigue from writers who don't seem to have that strong a grasp on politics, especially made up fantasy politics. Unless you are Frank Herbert or George R.R. Martin kindly stow that crap whenever possible.
So I find myself considering, somehow, reading another Dresden book, since it's an easy read and reasonably amusing despite Dresden himself. But seriously, when is this crap wizard going to grow the hell up? -
It's obvious that this book is superior to the 3 that came before it. Book 1 and 2 just barely got a 3 star from me. Book 3 was showing promise, but ultimately fell flat (see my review of it for more details). This book showcases the growth Jim Butcher has achieved as a writer. At one point I was worried because the plot seemed to fall into a gimmicky pattern like book 3. This time around it was Harry versus his overwhelming lust for anything with breasts. I was happy to see that theme was thrown out after a few iterations.
So how come I still gave this entry the same 3 star rating? I read a few reviews and Stephen's review for book 5 hit the nail on the head. He perfectly described my feelings that I was struggling to grasp. I don't like Harry Dresden all that much. He's very immature and can't even take himself seriously when he's seconds away from a gruesome death.
A lot of the humor was a miss for me. I will admit there were maybe a handful of things I chuckled at, but the number of attempts at it got a bit annoying. At one point Harry grabs something and runs away imitating the roadrunner's signature "meep meep" call. That's cringy to me. I guess I'm not nerdy/dorky enough to appreciate it for what it is.
In summation, this is the best book so far, but this series probably isn't for me. I may or may not read book 5. I forced myself to read this, hoping to finally either love or hate the series, but I'm still very much on the fence. The short prequel to Book 1 was actually good. Maybe I can only tolerate Harry in short story bursts. -
This is a revised review as of 4/14/2013.
The strength of this novel is on the world building and character of Harry Dresden with a plot that moves along fast. One thing you can always say about the recent books is that they are fun and fast reads. This presumes you're a fan of Harry (a wise-cracking detective for hire style wizard, who had a tendency to piss off a lot of people) and the writing style. In fact if you don't like Harry then you shouldn't be reading these books.
In book four, he's sort of started a war between the wizards and the vampires and the wizards are deciding whether they want to keep him or turn him into a sacrificial lamb. The Sidhe factor into this strongly with a focus on the Summer and Winter Courts vying for a balance of power.
Mab, the Queen of the Faeries, manipulates him into investigating a murder that has bigger repercussions for Fae lands as well as the mortal world.
Other people are trying to kill him, too.
One of his old flames from long ago shows up.
What's a wizard to do?
Well, Harry is pretty smart and capable, even if he hasn't bathed in several days and is close to being evicted. Oh, he's depressed so he's pushed away all his friends at this point. But, more importantly, he's the main character so you know the author is going to get him out of his problems or there wouldn't be a book five, right?
The mystery for this one is particularly good, so, if like the red herring ploy, Butcher uses it quite well here.
Pretty good use of Fae legends and spells.
Enjoy.
Note that the series drops in quality somewhere in the early teens. I'd say book four is one of the best.
CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B minus to B; STORY/PLOTTING/EDITING: B plus; WRITING STYLE: B to B plus; WORLD BUILDING: B plus to A minus; WHEN READ: 2008 (second reading) (revised review 4/14/2013); OVERALL GRADE: B plus. -
I hadnt really like the previous 3 all that much but I was heavily convinced by a friend that I should. I'm glad I did. Great fun, the larger world is explored a little more, characters are fleshed out more. It seemed more together and it feels like Butcher is building towards something. Definitely going to continue with this series.
-
That was so much fun! I wasn't convinced about this series before - it was nice enough to read but Dresden got on my nerves so bad with his white knighting and his deciding who gets to know what and who is capable of protecting themselves (hint: women aren't). But this time around I really enjoyed it, very much so. A lot of that enjoyment comes from James Marsters' absolutely brilliant performance that lend Dresden a humanity and humility that I didn't see before. The voice work fits the character brilliantly and I cannot imagine a better person to read this story (I love Buffy a lot, so that probably helped). I will definitely listen to the next books instead of reading them and I am so glad I discovered the audiobook.
Still reeling from the events of the last book, Harry Dresden is at his absolute worst, a mess, when he gets sucked into a war between the two Fairy Courts. As usual, the odds are stacked against him, but this time around he actually accepts help and I appreciated this. I think that this was the best story yet, as Dresden is finally learning from the disasters he lived and is becoming a much better person to spend time with as a reader.
I love the world Jim Butcher has created here with all the different kinds of creatures with different moralities (or none) and different cultures. It feels real and lived in and vast in a way that I really appreciate. Lately I have been enjoying Urban Fantasy more, as genre I struggled with in the past, and I am so pleased with this - because there are so many books in this series and I love being abl to spend a lot of time with characters I have grown fond of. -
Harry Dresden, the wizard/private investigator, is depressed: major girlfriend troubles, problems making rent, various and sundry supernatural beings trying to kill him, outstanding obligations to the Fae that are equally likely to result in his death, and issues with the governing council of wizards, who want to turn Harry over to the vampire council who -- you got it -- also want Harry dead.
Several people told me to just start with this book, #4 in the Dresden urban fantasy series, if I wanted to check out this series. So I did, but I'm not sure it was a good idea. The problem is that I wasn't really invested in the characters, so I got just a little bored. Where other reviewers are all, "Bob the Skull! Yay!!" I was, "Huh, a talking skull. Interesting."
Add to that a mystery where the resolution struck me as a little weak, and this one gets a middling grade from me. -
I really enjoy listening to this series and this book has been my favorite so far.
Of course it does, James, don't be silly.
Aside from James Marsters ear-gasms, I'm really starting to get into the overarching storyline that seems to be developing.
On to the next one!
-
Best in the series so far. Full RTC!
5 stars ***** -
[4.5 Stars]
-
So much better than the last 3.
-
Summer Knight starts with Harry in a very dark place. He is reeling from the fact that his girlfriend has left him, and she's been changed into a near-vampire by the Red Court of Vampires. He feels personally responsible, and is desperate for a way to help her. This despair has affected him to a deep level, and he's barely functioning, living in a pig-sty, and not even taking cases or taking care of himself. It was very hard to see him like that. And things don't get better for Harry. Because he's facing judgment by the White Council of wizards, who are out for his blood, and he has to prove that he's not a troublemaker or they're going to deliver him signed and sealed to the vampires, who won't sit him down for tea and sandwiches. They'll kill him, and make it hurt. His only way out is to prove his allegiance to the White Council by opening up routes into Faerie so they can get away from the vampires. In order to do that, he has to make nice with the Faeries. Luckily, or unluckily, the Winter Queen Mab shows up at his office, 'asking' his help to solve the case of who killed the Summer Knight, thus stealing away some of the Seelie's Court's power and upsetting the power balance between Seelie and Unseelie Courts. Trust me, that's not a good thing, and could very well lead to the end of the world. By asking Harry, that means he doesn't get to say no, since his faerie godmother sold his debt to her to Queen Mab. Complicated? Yes it is. But that's par for the course for Harry.
Harry Dresden doesn't get it easy. He just gets it not as hard, sometimes at least. Life for him seems to go from one battle to the next. And he has plenty of battle-scars. But, he doesn't give up. He keeps on trucking. I couldn't love him more for that. Harry is at his snarkiest in this book. The man's mouth is a sharply-honed instrument, and he knows how to use it. And, he shows that he's definitely an alpha male, with his take charge, 'try to stop me' attitude, despite his endearingly self-deprecating manner. He might seem like a ne'er do well, but he's resourceful, strong-willed, and at heart, definitely a white knight.
Summer Knight wasn't an easy read for me. The print in my book was way too small, and Mr. Butcher has a very descriptive, detail-oriented writing style. But, it was a fantastic read. Mr. Butcher takes faerie and concocts a delectable story around it. I've read quite a few faerie stories, and he still managed to bring some new images and concepts to the table. I love what he does with Faerie. And I loved the Faerie smackdown at the end of this story. I felt like I was right there, with a ringside seat on the action. I was cheering for Harry and his gang of werewolves and faerie changelings, and wincing as he takes his share of licks. And if you've ever read a Dresden novel, you know that Harry is always, always getting hurt. But, he just keeps on going. Gosh, I love this man!
Mr. Butcher really took me on a nonstop ride. I was feeling all Harry's pain. I didn't enjoy seeing him suffering the way he does in this book, and I hope that he does find peace over Susan. Even still, with all his personal anguish, he manages to save the day, yet again, and give me more than a few laughs in the process. It was great to see tough as nails Karrin Murphy, the Chicago Police Detective that he consults on 'weird' cases with, fight at his side against an ogre, chlorofiend (plant monster), and ghoul assassin at the local Walmart. Hats off to Mr. Butcher for yet another grand adventure with Harry Dresden. I better rest up so I can be ready for the next one! -
Another strong installment in the Dresden series. This one picked up where the last one left off very nicely with the introduction of some cool characters and an introduction to the White Council, the political leaders of the wizards, and all the scheming and backbiting that comes with them, which Harry finds himself caught in the middle of. There was also the unexpected return of a character who has been talked about quite a bit in the first few books. After being a dumbass in book 2 and largely useless in book 3 I was glad to see Murphy return to form and we also got some background on her character and the events that may have shaped her into the hardened police officer (and occasional dumbass) we have come to know.
The world-building in this one was really cool with the introduction of the faerie courts and the scheming,mysterious personalities that inhabit them. These scenes were made even more interesting by the fact that Harry wasn't just stopping by to visit and/or have a three-some with ancient and powerful fairy ladies in exchange for handing over a child for undisclosed but surely disturbing reasons. Rather he was investigating a murder that was about to trigger a war between 2 devastating magical forces with the mortal world caught in between. This forced Harry to try and navigating these confusing and magical worlds carefully as he searched for the murderer. While the plot dragged a bit in the middle after a compelling start it finished really strongly with some unexpected and well set-up plot twists and as the villain (who I found to be more sympathetic and compelling than any of the others in the series so far) was finally revealed.
Overall this was another strong entry in the series and after not being impressed overly by the first 2 books and seriously contemplating not bothering wit any more of the series I'm now looking forward to see where this series will go. -
Yet again on a reread, a Harry Dresden book goes from 4 to 5 stars.
This book was all action and very funny. Dresden is in trouble with the council after the trouble with the vampire courts of the previous book. This book however is all about faerie. Winter and Summer are in a battle for supremacy and only Dresden can save the day..
I loved the plant monster at the garden centre (or chloro-fiend). The final faerie battle scene was epic and visual. There were scarlet-and blue-skinned ogres in faerie mail,brown skinned gnomes, sylphs crouched over a mound of bloody, stinking carrion, squabbling like vultures, troop of battered, lantern-jawed, burly humanoids with wide, batlike ears, goblins, clouds of pixies, bumble bees as big as park benches, spiders as big as footballs, faerie hounds to name but a few. Trolls, ogres, centaurs also play their part. We learn much more about the faerie courts and the faerie queens and their knights. And as always, Harry has a heart of gold. Fab! -
It has been two years since I read a “Dresden Files” book,
Grave Peril, I enjoyed it a lot but not much of it lingered and while I intended to get back to the series, I felt there is no rush to do so. Still, these books are always fun reads, and sometimes the simple enjoyment is just what I need after a tedious day at work. Time for another wild ride with Wizard Dresden.
The Dresden Files is an urban fantasy / hardboiled detective series set mostly in modern-day Chicago, featuring cocky “consulting wizard” Harry Dresden. Each book tends to be mostly self-contained but always with connective tissues to the rest of the series. In Summer Knight Dresden is coerced by Mab, the Winter Queen of the Sidhe, into investigating the murder of a “Summer Knight”, a henchman of Aurora, the Summer Lady. The summer and the winter courts of the faeries are perpetually at war with neither side ever emerging victorious. This murder is intended to frame Mab for the murder and lead to a destabilization of the Summer vs Winter war, and an outright victory of either Court would be disastrous for the world.
The Dresden Files by by charro-art (click to embiggen).
I went into Summer Knight expecting pure entertainment and I got my money’s worth. The book does have moments of pathos but I did not really connect with the emotional side of it, I don’t feel the characters are developed with sufficient depth for me to feel strongly engaged with their plight. Harry Dresden is a likable flawed heroic P.I. you can root for, in the tradition of
Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe. He does go through extremely dangerous situations in this book, going up against weird monstrosities and super powerful faeries. The pace of the narrative never slackens but there are not enough nuances there for me to feel more than entertained. Having said that, I only required the entertainment part anyway. Though the book is mostly set in contemporary Chicago, parts of it is sent in the faeries’ domain and some very elaborate world-building goes on in these parts, I also enjoy the complex internal logic how magic functions in this book. Dresden is aided in his perilous investigations by some very colorful characters, both humans and non-human. They may not be developed in depth but they are a lot of fun.
Summer Knight is a highly enjoyable book and I will definitely get back into the series again, probably with less of a time gap next time..
Banner
by Samurphy0320
Quotes:
“It came as a shock to me. I know, that sounds stupid, but I don’t keep mirrors in my home. Too many things can use mirrors as windows, even doors, and it was a risk I preferred to skip entirely. I hadn’t glanced at a mirror in weeks.”
“My hair had grown out long and shaggy – not in that sexy-young-rock-star kind of way but in that time-to-take-Rover-to-the-groomer kind of way.”
“The elevator hadn’t ever been quite the same since a giant scorpion had torn into one of the cars and someone had thrown the elevator up to the top of its chute with a torrent of wind in order to smash the big bug against the roof. The resulting fall sent the car plummeting all the way back to the ground floor and wreaked havoc with the building in general, raising everyone’s rents.”
Harry Dresden by thegryph -
This re-read has been a success so far. Weird, but good weird. It was weird revisiting the first three books, which I originally didn't like enough to continue the series, on audio for the first time. I knew that James Marsters was a huge part of the reason I ended up liking this series so much, but I don't think I realized just how much until starting this re-read. I liked the first three books more on re-read in large part because I'm invested in this world and these characters now, but it's also just super fun to listen to James Marsters read me stories. He brings Harry to life.
Which is all just a lead up to me explaining that I'm reading the rest of this series on this re-read in hard copy, because I have OCD and each book has to be read each way at least one time. I did 1-3, 13, and 15 in hard copy the first time around, so they get the audio treatment this time, and vice versa. And I missed the audio SO BAD. I still liked this though, to be clear. In fact, I liked it about the same amount I did as when I read it in 2010.
I still loved the introduction of the Faerie courts, and Harry's relationship with Toot-toot the fairy. I still liked the way this book inched closer towards expanding Harry's circle of people he trusts instead of making him continual loner man. I think I actually liked the stuff with the White Council better this time, now that I have a firmer grasp on what their whole deal is. I can't frickin' wait for Harry to calm the hell down about women, though. When does that happen again? I feel like it's not until halfway through the series, at least.
Anyway, it's been two months since I read this, so more detailed thoughts have escaped me. Maybe I'll make up for it in the next one, since I didn't actually write a review for that one the first time through.
Original Review, 11/1/2010: Never thought this would actually happen, but I'm giving more than three stars to a Dresden File book. I'm still not entirely sure if that extra enjoyment was garnered by the writing (which I still think is pretty awkward in places . . . Jim Butcher and I are obviously not in agreement about what constitutes "cool"), or the fabulously sexy narration of James Marsters. His voice really brought out the color and personality that I felt was missing from the first three books. It also helps that I find fairies infinitely more interesting than ghosts, werewolves, and over the top wizards involved with the Mafia. While still being overwhelming pathetic, Harry also managed not to annoy me at all this book, a lot of which has to do with Marsters, but also to the fact that he's actually letting people help him now and not being so much a stupid martyr anymore. I'm also not going conceal the fact that I very much appreciated the absence of Susan, the vampires, and aforementioned stupid Mafia.
Anyway, I enjoyed this book enough that I'm in for the rest of the series, but it's gonna be audiobooks all the way. -
Really starting to enjoy this series.
Props to Harry for finally starting to trust Murphy and stop making his life needlessly difficult with misapplied chivalry.
